For Everything There is a Season
by Redbud-Tree
Summary: A collection of related one-shots; some humorous, others depressing. All of them JackAna.
1. A Time To Live

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. None! None I tell you!  
  
Author's Note: This is going to be a collection of shorts, all interrelated with one another. A few of you may remember 'A Time To Grieve'; well, that's going to be taken down and have its title tweaked, and will reappear under this arc. Some of these will be happy stories, while others will be heartbreaking. (No, not that Will!)  
  
Author's Note 2: This note is just for this installment. This first one is just a tad on the silly side, but everyone had moments when they act slightly... juvenile. Enough said? I hope so. (Don't worry, angst lovers; the next two are going to be just for you!) (Yeah, the title doesn't exactly have to do with the fic, but it sort of relates to it. Close enough, anyway!)  
  
What are you still reading this for? Go read!  
  
-A Time to Live-  
  
"Jack! Jack, what are ye doin'?"  
  
Her words were incredulous, but her tone laughing. She was obviously more amused by her captain's antics than shocked or angered. Which was certainly a relief to said captain, as he was far too used to having her anger turned towards him. She may have meant to deter him from his actions; instead, it merely encouraged him.  
  
Smirking at her, and revealing a scattering of gold among otherwise white teeth, he cocked an eyebrow at her. Making his way toward her, he stopped halfway to casually glance over his shoulder at the ocean. Turning back to her he waved a hand in front of her face.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing, luv?"  
  
Ana-Maria shook her head, smiling as she did so. Normally his comments would have put her on the warpath, but today she was in an exceptionally good mood, and was therefore unusually tolerant. Truth be told, he hadn't really done anything to bother her this morning. Still, she couldn't help but rise to the occasion. He was baiting her; daring her to enter a sparring contest.  
  
"Well, from 'ere it looks like yer about t' do somethin' daft and get yourself killed, fool tha' ye are."  
  
Jack walked all the way up to her and shook a finger in her face with a triumphant look to him. There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes today, one that Ana-Maria hadn't noticed before. Not dangerous in a life-threatening sort, but dangerous all the same. Invading her personal space and placing his face mere inches from her own, he stared deeply into her eyes and smirked.  
  
"Now tha's where your wrong, luv. I may be about to do something daft, as you say; but I am not about to get myself killed. It's your life that I'm willin' to put to the risk." With that he suddenly grabbed her around the waist and the next thing Ana-Maria knew, they were both in the ocean, treading water next to the Pearl.  
  
Spluttering indignantly, she pulled herself out of his grasp and glared at him. He only seemed pleased with the reaction he got; clearly he had expected as much. Still, it was good to see him relaxing for once. The man had been so tense about something lately; something had been bothering him. Today, however, he was just out to have a good time.  
  
All too suddenly for her comfort, Ana-Maria was ducked under water, completely unprepared. Very well then; he had struck the opening blow; now the war was on! She lunged at him, but he evaded her grasp. Diving under water and swimming away from her view, he sprang back up at her and pulled her under water again.  
  
With a cry of fury, she shoved him away from her while still under water, and then kicked him hard. Then she made it back to the surface, eternally grateful that for some reason the crew was nowhere to be seen. Probably still drunk from last night's 'celebration'. Whatever the reasons were, they weren't there, so she had full license to get her revenge on Jack.  
  
Speaking of which, the pirate captain had just come up for air, with a wide grin on his face that told Ana-Maria she hadn't kicked him nearly hard enough. Her temporary good mood completely eliminated, she glared once more at Jack; then lunged again.  
  
Once more he evaded, but this time he simply came straight back up. Throwing another triumphant look at her, he ever so casually made his way over to her. Jack was quite obviously enjoying the disgruntled air Ana- Maria had about her at the moment, as his good mood was apparently feeding off of her discomfort.  
  
"Come on, luv. It wasn't that bad! I quite enjoyed it meself!"  
  
"O' course ye did! Yer th' only one I know who likes t' think tha' 'e's a bloody fish!" Then a crafty look appeared in her eyes, and the anger left, replaced by a much more dangerous emotion. Jack, formerly reveling in his triumph, now started to get just a little worried. Ana-Maria angry was dangerous. Ana-Maria with that look in here eyes could be downright deadly. Jack started to just maybe regret his little antics of earlier.  
  
"Now, Ana- Ana, you know I didn't mean anything by it! I swear! Ana- Ana as your captain I order you to belay whatever it is you're planning! Ana, luv! Ana!"  
  
---  
  
Some time later, the crew began to rouse. Universally suffering from hangovers had kept them from work much longer than usual. They couldn't help but wonder, to a man, just why their captain hadn't been bothered by it. Still, what did it matter? You're not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth, after all!  
  
Gibbs was having the oddest time. He couldn't find the captain anywhere, or Ana-Maria. He had been slightly worried about that earlier, but both of their cabins were empty, so he knew that his fears had been unfounded.  
  
Coming around to the helm, he was startled to see Ana-Maria standing there, a wide grin on her face. Jack was still nowhere to be seen, but Ana-Maria was obviously happy about something. Which made Gibbs very worried about Jack. He was semi-concerned about his own safety as he approached her, but an inquiry must be made. After all, if something had happened to the captain, then the crew deserved to know about it.  
  
"Ana, where be th' Cap'n?"  
  
If anything, Ana-Maria' widening grin only served to further concern Gibbs. Smiling in a falsely innocent way, she turned to Gibbs and answered his inquiry with a question of her own.  
  
"An' wha' makes ye think tha' I'd know where th' Captain is?"  
  
Gibbs had no answer for that, and when he saw the glint in her eyes, he decided not to push it further, lest he wind up in the same situation that Jack had apparently found himself. So he shrugged and went off about his business. Still, he couldn't help but think there was something different about Ana-Maria's appearance...  
  
Turning back towards her he suddenly realized what it was. For some reason, the woman pirate had on Jack's sash. It was rather odd, yes, but there was no real concern in her simply wearing his sash. If that were the only thing odd, he'd have forgotten about the whole thing. But then he noticed, lying inconspicuously in an often-overlooked section of the deck, Jack's bandanna, crumpled up and quite obviously hidden.  
  
As the day wore on, there was still no sign of the captain; but it seemed that his clothing was turning up everywhere. Marty happened upon Jack's breeches while in the galley, and had made a comment to Gibbs that wherever the Captain was at the moment, he was most likely entirely unclothed.  
  
Ana-Maria watched with a laugh in her mind as her fellow pirates found piece after piece of Jack's clothing, but still couldn't find him. She knew she'd pay for this eventually, but Jack did deserve it, after all! She was just thankful that no one had thought to check the brig yet. Her grin only grew wider as she heard the shout of a crewman as he had apparently discovered the captain, who would most likely be very angry with her.  
  
She had proven that while Ana-Maria in a bad mood was dangerous, Ana-Maria in a good mood was far more so.  
  
-Fin- 


	2. A Time To Die

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic. Is that enough of a disclaimer to satisfy you?  
  
Author's Note: Here we go; the first of the sad ones! This is where the tears will start to fall! (At least, that is my intent here.) If it's too sad, or not sad enough, don't blame it on me! And just so you know, I really don't like Gillette; something about his comment to Elizabeth. I dunno, he just strikes me the wrong way..  
  
-A Time to Die-  
  
This couldn't be happening. Not here, not now, not ever! This was something that was never supposed to happen; something that could not happen. Should not happen. So how come it was happening? Ana-Maria could not force her mind to work out the details. She was in too much shock, and she simply could not comprehend this nightmare. Jack Sparrow could not be dying! But he was, and that was the truth of it.  
  
All she could do was sit next to him and hold his hand, desperately hoping for a miracle; that he would at least wake up to say goodbye, that she could tell him what she had finally realized the instant it had happened. She knew he wouldn't, though. He hadn't woken up once since, and it had been nearly three days.  
  
She closed her eyes and tried to resist the sudden urge to cry; she wouldn't cry, no, not until there was no hope left. Closing her eyes didn't help, though; it merely brought back the images that she didn't want to have in her memory; the ones that would be ingrained in her mind for the rest of her life.  
  
---  
  
The day had started out fine, if a bit on the cloudy side. No possible indication of what was to befall them. They had spotted a merchant ship not far to the northeast, weighted down with the amount of cargo she was carrying. Not in itself an unusual occurrence.  
  
After shadowing her for a bit, Jack had decided that she was worth taking. Normally they shadowed a ship for much longer than this, but for some reason Jack didn't wish to wait as long. Probably because this merchant was one he recognized, and was known for carrying rum, which by some odd happenings, they were currently running extremely low on.  
  
It was a bit risky, but Jack wasn't known to be inherently cautious. If he were, he wouldn't have been the kind of pirate he was. Ana-Maria thought that there was something odd about this merchant, but she couldn't really explain just what it was. She didn't think that they should bother with this one; they were only a day or two's sail away from Tortuga, and they could always get rum there.  
  
She had voiced her concerns once, and only once. After that one attempt it became clear that no amount of persuading (forceful or otherwise) could keep Jack from going after this ship. Perhaps his lack of desire to hear out her thoughts on the matter was attributable to the prank Ana-Maria had played on him just a few days ago. He had been rather upset with her ever since.  
  
Later, when she would have time to reflect, she realized that her prank had hurt him, without her ever knowing it. But at that point in time, she was merely angry that he wouldn't believe her when she said there was something wrong about that ship. As it turned out, she had been right.  
  
The merchant ship was merely a decoy; bait to catch the pirates unguarded. Apparently Commodore Norrington was on the warpath again; since he knew that the Black Pearl was the faster ship, he had shown that he knew other ways to take care of the pirate threat. With his intelligence he would have made a good pirate if he hadn't chosen the side of the law.  
  
The Black Pearl could outrun the Dauntless; there was no lie in that. Still, the suddenness with which they had been caught unawares (something that rarely happened the Captain Jack Sparrow) forced them to do battle before they could gain enough advantage to escape.  
  
It was in that battle that it had happened. Ana-Maria had seen it from where she was fighting off two of the redcoats by the mainmast. Jack was fighting off two of his own when one of the officers, Lieutenant Gillette she later learned, decided to fight like a pirate. Or at least, fight like his image of one.  
  
Not even a pirate would do what he did, and Ana-Maria found herself in shock as her captain went down. The rest of the fight was a blur. Gibbs later informed her that she had gone berserk, and that she had fought like a whirlwind, not stopping until she had slain or at least disabled every member of the British Royal Navy that she could reach.  
  
Somehow or other they had gotten away, and the next thing she remembered was sitting next to Jack in his cabin, watching him breath. His skin was pale: far too pale to bear any semblance of health. It almost matched the white of the bandages that were wrapped around his torso and head.  
  
He had lost a lot of blood, she had been told, and the head wound was one of the worst Gibbs had ever seen. He didn't know how he was still alive at the moment; it looked like someone had split his skull open. Ana-Maria, having been sickened by his descriptions, was at that moment thankful she didn't remember helping Gibbs tend Jack, although she knew she had.  
  
---  
  
Nearly three days on from that moment, Ana-Maria was still sitting here, next to Jack. She hadn't moved in all of this time, and she didn't plan on leaving any time soon. She would maintain her vigil over Jack until he either woke up, or- she wouldn't let herself think of the other. She knew, though. In the deepest part of her heart, she knew. He wouldn't wake up; the head wound was just too severe. It was a miracle in itself that he had hung on this long; or maybe it was just his tenaciousness.  
  
Either way, he had stayed for as long as he could; had fought for as long as he was able. Now Ana-Maria, sitting here, watching him, could feel him losing his grip; slipping away from her. It was in that moment that she realized the truth of her feelings, as all of her emotions and memories collided and rolled into one.  
  
They say that when a person is close to death, their life flashes before their eyes. Ana-Maria didn't know if there was any truth in that statement, but she certainly could say that her life flashed before her eyes as she watched Jack's breathing slow, then still completely.  
  
She recalled every harsh word they had ever exchanged, every teasing remark, every slap and every punch. Every suggestive comment he had thrown at her; even the way he smirked when he had managed to raise her ire. Everything that they had endured together, everything about him flashed before her eyes in that second.  
  
In that second she realized that she loved him. And in that second: that small thing, miniscule in the scope of time, Captain Jack Sparrow, captain of the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, passed from this world. Her heart shattering in that instant, Ana-Maria realized that it was too late to tell him how she felt; the opportune moment had presented itself many, many times; she had missed it for the last.  
  
Now, as many times as she sobbed it over his body, heedless of the tears that she had been unwilling to shed earlier, he would never hear. That was almost harder to bear than his death, in a way. She cradled his body to her, as if somehow she could force the life back into the empty shell that had been her captain. She could no more do that than she could attempt to repair her shattered heart.  
  
At that moment, the clouds that had been building up over the last three days could hold no more moisture, and the rain started to fall.  
  
-Fin- 


	3. A Time To Mourn

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. 'Nuff said.  
  
Author's Note: This used to be a post all on its own, but I decided to combine it with three others (the fourth I shall post soon, I swear!), and tweak its title a bit. Note: HANKY ALERT! Just warnin' ya.   
  
-A Time to Mourn-  
  
The day was not a pleasant one. The skies were dark, and the rain fell steadily and softly, with only occasional bursts of torrential drops; much like her tears. She normally didn't cry; it was something she had trained herself not to do. It was moments like these, when her weaknesses became evident, that proved her still very much human, and prone to human emotions such as grief.  
  
He was dead. There was no changing it; no turning back the clock and stopping it from happening. How she wished there were! There were a lot of things she wished, and every one was an impossible dream. She wished that she had told him sooner; that she hadn't been blind to her own feelings until it was too late. She wished that she could have prevented his death, but there was no way she could have and she knew it.  
  
What she really wished for, though, was that it was all a dream: that she'd wake up the next morning and he would be there. He was there, anyway. In all the ways but the one that really mattered. As she stood here, in his spot, standing behind the helm of the ship that he had loved, she could almost hear his voice.  
  
"Ana, luv. Would you mind movin'? Not that I'm complaining, luv; you steer the Pearl admirably. But she is my ship, luv, an' I need t' be th' one steering her." She jumped, it had sounded like he was right beside her; she could almost feel him whispering into her ear.  
  
Looking wildly around, she was satisfied that there was no one there. This turned her mind to a new worry. Hearing things was the first sign of madness, after all. It wouldn't surprise her if his death drove her mad; there were lesser things that could. Closing her eyes, she pictured his face in her mind.  
  
She could still see the intensity of his dark eyes, enhanced by the kohl he continually wore around them. She could see his hair, as long and unruly as ever, with its beads and trinkets wound firmly into the dark locks. She could picture the gold teeth sparkling when he smiled, and his braided beard. It was almost as if he were still standing before her.  
  
When Ana-Maria opened her eyes, she was surprised; Jack was standing there. He had such an air of nonchalance about him that as he walked up to her it caused her to forget, for a moment, that he couldn't be there. She blinked at him uncomprehendingly, the confusion evident in her eyes.  
  
"You're dead." He looked at her, and then at himself. He shrugged and stepped closer to her. She could feel his presence, which was extremely odd for a dead man.  
  
"Am I? Someone forgot to inform me of that fact. 'S not a polite thing to do, that."  
  
It was something only he could ever say, and it almost brought tears to her eyes again. He simply could NOT be standing here- it just wasn't possible. He had died before her eyes; how could he possibly be here, looking as healthy as ever he had?  
  
"Wha' are ye doin' 'ere, Jack? I'm 'avin enough problems withou' yer hauntin' me." His eyebrow quirked, and it was funny how just a few short days had made her miss that one small motion. Then he smiled at her, and the tears fell, unbidden, once again.  
  
"'Hauntin' is such a strong word, luv. An' it's certainly not something to cry about."  
  
If she had really believed him there, Ana-Maria would have slapped him. She wished that he were really there. Desperately, in fact. If she had proof that he was more than a figment of her overtired imagination, if she knew for certain that he wasn't just a phantom come to haunt her, she would have wept again out of sheer joy.  
  
"Tha's not what I'm cryin' about, ye daft fool. Why'd ye have to go an' die on me? I never even got to tell ye..." She trailed off, and angrily dashed away the tears in a futile effort to stop crying. Jack, or the image of Jack, anyway, was instantly serious. He stepped closer to her, until they were only a few inches apart. When he spoke, his voice was deadly serious.  
  
"You never told me what, luv? Let's have it, there's time." This was bad, she could feel him. You weren't supposed to feel figments, or even ghosts. She must be going insane. But he was so close and the desire to just reach out and grab him was so strong that she lost all control, finally breaking down.  
  
"I love ye, Jack! I loved ye and didn't even realize it! An' now it's too late! Yer dead, Jack! Yer dead, whether 'r no' yer standin' in front o' me!" The tears were falling now, harder than ever before; causing the images in front of her to blur until she could no longer see. Ana-Maria dropped to her knees, an emotional wreck.  
  
"Ana."  
  
She looked up, daring to wipe her eyes again. He was still there; still deceivingly real. Her captain held out a hand to help her up, and she took it. It was solid and real, but there was something strange about it. Something that just wasn't quite right. Then he took her in his arms and she forgot the strangeness. His arms around her, he murmured comforts into her ears, desperate to stop her tears.  
  
"It's all right, luv. I'm here; it's all right. I'll always be here. You have my word on that." As she regained control, she pulled away from him slightly and looked him in the eyes. Her voice, when she spoke, sounded hoarse and choked up, and it was a struggle to get the words out.  
  
"Jack, 'M sorry I didn't tell ye sooner. I should've told ye... I should 'ave let ye know..." Ana-Maria trailed off, unable to speak further. The tears threatened to fall again, but she resisted them. She stared at Jack, wanting to believe that this was real; that he was still alive. He smiled at her again, and this time it was surprisingly gentle.  
  
"Ana, there's no need t' apologize. I knew, Ana. I knew; there's no fault in not tellin' me; you didn't know what would happen. Y' need t' understand that, luv." She leaned back into Jack's embrace, not caring that it couldn't be real; that he couldn't be here. All that mattered was that he was here. Logic and reason didn't matter now, not as long as he was here.  
  
"Stay 'ere, Jack. Don't go. I don't care if yer jus' my imagination playin' tricks on me. I wan' ye 'ere, Jack. I need ye 'ere." This time it was Jack who pulled away.  
  
"You know that's not how it works, luv. You need t' get on with your life. The Pearl needs a captain, an' I don't think Gibbs, as good a man as he is, would be too keen t' take that position." She shook her head, resisting the urge to slap him. There was just something wrong with slapping a dead man. Still her eyes burned with anger and hurt; although far more hurt than anger.  
  
"Th' Pearl needs ye, Jack! She's your ship! I'm not meant t' be her captain!" Jack placed a finger on her lips, cutting off any further argument. His eyes were bright with something other than their usual sparkle.  
  
"Ana, that wasn't a request. I'm ordering you t' take charge of the Pearl. I couldn't bear t' think of anyone else commandin' 'er. Don't question my orders, luv." A sudden sound startled both of them, and Jack suddenly looked like he was in a hurry. The crew would be returning soon, and he would have to be gone by the time they arrived. Ana reached up and touched his cheek, trying to ascertain just how real he was.  
  
"Jack, please don' go..." Jack looked at her, his eyes filled with different emotions, sadness and regret dominant. Her took her hand off of his cheek and held it in his own, and a sad smile crossed his face once more.  
  
"I have to, luv: I've got no choice in th' matter. Bu' before I go..." Then, quite unexpectedly, he leaned towards her and kissed her. It was a strong kiss, and Ana-Maria's eyes closed in reflex, but while her eyes were still closed Jack pulled out of their embrace and broke off the kiss.  
  
When she opened her eyes, she was alone. Jack was nowhere to be seen, and she was left just as heartbroken and torn as she had been before. Then the tears came again, and this time there was no one there to calm her. But something was different: the guilt she had held over not telling him her feelings was gone. Still, it didn't change the fact that she felt utterly alone.  
  
-Fin- 


	4. A Time To Dance

> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Enough said.  
  
**Author's Note:** Long time coming, was it not? Yeah, this is still kind of sad, but in a way it's not... Just read and you'll see. Thanks to all of my reviewers! Now I'll just go get my lazy rear in gear and work on my other fics. Ta!  
  
**-A Time to Dance-**  
  
AnaMaria had been captain of the Black Pearl for over five years now, and she still wasn't completely used to it. Neither had she completely gotten over Jack's death, but she couldn't be expected to heal all the way: A wound like that will heal, but never completely. This she knew with all of the pieces of her shattered heart.  
  
The visit/hallucination that took place shortly after Jack's death had been the last time she had ever seen her captain, dead or alive, figment or no. Thinking of him anymore brought a smile to her face more often than tears to her eyes, but it still hurt knowing that they had never had a chance for anything to happen.  
  
When she had informed the Turners, she had been mildly surprised to see both of them weep, albeit Will was a little less emotional than Elizabeth. But that could have been simply because she was with child. She had still stopped by occasionally to check on them, more for Jack's sake than her own, and once she had been pleasantly surprised to find out that Elizabeth had given birth to a son, whom they had called Jack.  
  
Smiling at the thought of the child, and how much he reminded her of her Jack, she was startled by a cry from Gibbs. She was the captain of the Pearl, in truth, but she refused the title. It was the least that she could do for Jack; he would always remain the captain of the Pearl, she would always be first mate.  
  
"Sail ho, Ana!"  
  
Drawn from her thoughts, AnaMaria looked up: Just what she needed to lighten her mood; a man o' war. There wasn't much the Pearl could do at this point except fight. She really should have expected that they would send something like this after them; ever since Jack's death something in AnaMaria had snapped, and the Pearl was one of the greatest threats to all of peaceful society. At least, that was what the British Navy believed.  
  
As she shouted orders to prepare the ship for battle, AnaMaria couldn't help but think that this was somehow similar to the day that Jack had died.
> 
> ---
> 
> She stood looking out over the crowd, doing her best to ignore the noose that hung ominously above her head. It was rather odd; here she was about to be hung and all she could think of was that Jack would kill her in the afterlife for letting his ship sink.  
  
As the list of her crimes was read out, she didn't even pay attention. Her mind was far away from the noose: far away from the eyes of the crowd. Her mind was somewhere back in time: back when the Black Pearl had a different captain. Her mind was with Jack.
> 
> __
> 
> _---_
> 
> _It was just after a successful raid, and everyone was 'celebrating'. Jack and AnaMaria had somehow both made their way to the bow of the ship. AnaMaria had made it there a short time before Jack, and she was staring out at the ocean, deep in thought. It was the perfect opportunity for Jack to sneak up on her, and he did so.  
_  
_AnaMaria jumped, startled out of her reverie, and whirled to face the one who dared to interrupt her privacy. Upon seeing Jack, she started to draw her hand back in order to slap him, only to find her wrist caught in a firm grip. Jack shot her a semi-triumphant smirk as she realized that she was at his mercy.  
_  
_"Now, luv. There's no need t' be so tense. There's nothin' t' fear."  
_  
_He was so close AnaMaria could smell the rum on his breath. Managing to loose her wrist, she reached up and pushed him away.  
  
"You're drunk, Jack."  
  
Jack simply took her wrist again, and spun her around so quickly that before she knew it he was holding her closely. It was making her distinctly uncomfortable, and yet she felt like she couldn't pull away in a million years.  
  
"Dance wi' me, luv."  
_  
_He whispered it in her ear, in a tone so unlike his usual voice that it took AnaMaria by surprise. Still, she laughed and pulled away. Seeing the semi-hurt look on his face (Undoubtedly caused by the drink, she reasoned.) she attempted to explain; although she really didn't know why she should; she could just let him assume that she didn't want to dance.  
  
"Jack, do ye e'en know how t' dance?"  
_  
_Jack smiled at her and pulled her to him.  
  
"Does it matter, luv?"  
_  
_"Aye; I wouldn't wan' ye t' drop me flat on me face."  
  
"Now luv; you know I wouldn't let tha' happen. Don' you trust me?"  
  
"When you're drunk?"  
  
AnaMaria didn't protest any more after that, and Jack pulled her to him again. What they did couldn't exactly be considered 'dancing', but it was just enough for the two of them. They stayed out there for about an hour, just enjoying each other's presence. Then Jack wandered off for more rum, and AnaMaria went back to her thoughts.  
_  
_In the morning she couldn't really remember much about it; and she would chalk up her feelings during that 'dance' to an over-indulgence in rum. Still, that night held a special memory for her, long before she realized what she had felt._
> 
> ---
> 
> The noose being placed around her neck and the drum roll temporarily brought her back to reality. These were her last moments alive; did she really want to be lost in the past? The answer was undoubtedly a 'yes', and she was back on the Pearl with Jack before the drums stopped.  
  
She wasn't aware of the platform's opening beneath her, nor was she aware of the drop. The only thing she noticed was that Jack was there. She couldn't believe her eyes at first, but he was there. Without a conscious thought she stepped onto the platform, forgetting what she left behind her. She all but ran toward Jack; tears streaming down her face once more.  
  
Their impact barely registered with her as they kissed. This time there would be no separation; they would never be apart again. She felt Jack's arms wrap around her as he returned the kiss. After an eternity they pulled apart, and all AnaMaria could do was smile. Then a thought struck her, and she looked uncertainly at Jack.  
  
"Jack . . .? Are ye angry? Abou' th' _Pearl_?"  
  
Jack actually laughed at her and pulled away slightly. Then he reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  
  
"Why should I be angry, luv? The _Pearl_ had an end worthy of th' legends."  
  
"Ye really mean it, Jack?"  
  
"Yes, Ana. Now come dance with me."  
  
AnaMaria felt herself pulled up against him, in a position similar to the one she remembered. This time she didn't pull away, and simply leaned further into him; her eyes closing in contentment. She didn't notice anything but the dancing as the world faded away from them. All she knew was how good it felt to be in Jack's arms again; how good it felt to have her heart repaired for eternity.  
  
**-Fin-**


End file.
